Stay Alive
by ThatIsNotAFetish
Summary: /Summery/: Upon a chopper crashing in Madagascar, Piers is stranded and wounded. Can he survive in time for Chris to save him? /Pairing/: Nivanfield Like it wasn't obvious.. [rated M for violence so far.]
1. Chapter 1

STAY ALIVE

/Author's Note/: Yaayyyy, another fanfiction from yours truly. Hope you enjoy and let's hope that this will go as planned. And Piers Stays alive... I had in mind the stupid song from Bee Gees. "Ahhh, Ahhh, Ahhh, Ahhhh, Stayin' Alive!"

/Pairing/: Nivanfield (Because we all know they are gay for eachother!)

/Summery/: On Chris' suggestion, Piers commands half of his team to go across seas to Africa to deal with an infestation while Chris and what's left the team focus on the infestation at Australia. The chopper carrying Piers and his men was attacked and down the chopper went in a ball of flames. Piers is now stranded in Madagascar?! There are no friendly furry singing or dancing lemars this time... Poor Piers.

Chapter 1 [preparations]

This disease wasn't supposed to be exiting, let alone spreading.. Twisting innocence into something not even the younger youth can recognize as their own. There is a fine line between madness and what is right.. Chris should have known better.. The rest was becoming short on irrelevance.

"Captain.." The quiet voice alerted Chris in his wake of silent self destruction. The bar was lively that night and he could barely make out Piers' voice through the chatter of the rest of his squad. It pulled him from his thoughts, drawing them onto his Subordinate. He looked to Piers, letting him know with his stare that he was listening.

"Are you okay with this?" His voice was steady, very Piers like and Chris knew what he was asking in assurance of. The man gave a light chuckle as he lifted his shot glass to his lips. The light fixture that hung above them casted little light, so his profile was dimmed.

"I know you can handle it Piers, you know I wouldn't give you anything you couldn't, right?" He spoke into the rim of his cup. Piers silently stared at his steak then cutting out a small piece.

Chris had givin Piers an oppertunity to show him what he can do. Command a team on a mission in Africa. It was a light infestation problem that Chris knew Piers can handle by himself while Chris sorted out the growth in the viral outbreak here in Australia . Piers was to take a chopper flown by one of Chris' most trusted pilots, Ren Cross. The task itself was easy enough. Piers however was hesitant. It wasn't fear, no.. Chris assumed that Piers had a second nature of questioning his captain. Chris didn't mind this quirky side of Piers, gave him a challenge and some excitement in each mission... Not that every mission was exactly dull, it just wouldn't be the same without his snarky sniper keeping him in line.

"If you say so, Captain.." He raised the piece of steak to his lips, preoccupying himself with this task. Chris sipped at his drink, trying not stare at Piers' lips as they wrapped around the slice of meat. Why did he find himself so distracted in his young ace? He dismissed it as a sense of awe and amazement in Piers' actions. Piers had his own way of doing everything it seemed. Chris liked to observe being as attentful as he was.

"You'll be fine," Chris merrily chirped as he downed the rest of his drink, slapping the glass onto the table top. "You saved my sorry hide countless times.. This will be no different."

"Your hide isn't worth the effort." A voice clicked from behind Chris, he looked over his shoulder when a smiling Jill lowered herself to sit next to Chris. Piers quietly ducked his head into his plate as he took a bite of his steak.

"Oh, you wound me.." Chris grinned despite this. Jill shook her head in a 'Get Over Yourself' kind of manner, and that was when she noticed Piers trying to be invisible. This tactic may work on J'avo or the infected many times before, but Jill was slightly smarter.

"And who is this?" Jill had her sights on Piers, who looked up from his food, almost hesitantly. He reached for his water after swallowing. "Piers Nivans.."

For a moment there, Chris thought he'd have to speak for Piers, but luckily that wasn't the case. Jill gave her most friendliest smiles as she recalled Chris' plans.

"You're the one Chris talks about." She acknowledged with a glint in her eye. Piers' expression faltered, though it was fairly hard to read, there was something submerged in those honey glazed optics. Geez, when you put it that way, it was almost made Chris feel like an over obsessed stalker. Chris prayed Piers wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"I didn't realize Captain talks about me.." Piers slowly drew out, looking Chris' way silently observing. Shit.

"Oh, Chris regards you highly." Jill wasn't helping and Chris had a feeling that she was doing this on purpose. Damn her.. Piers nodded softly and looked back down at his food, carving out another piece. Not the type of reaction Chris was expecting, but it was better than a scornful scoff or a look of disgust. It wasn't like he had wild fantasies over the sniper... Not fully anyway. Chris does find himself admiring the youth as explained earlier.

"So, I take it the mission starts tomorrow?" Jill crained her head in Chris' direction questioningly. Chris rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He was grateful for the topic change, treating it like a gift from the heavens.

"Guess it does.. We head out first thing in the morning."

Jill raised her glass above her head, which explained her previous attitude and actions, she was most likely buzzed and or drunk.. Whichever possible.

"Then let us toast!" She chirped. Chris raised his empty glass to humor her and looked to Piers. Part of him hadn't expected a reaction, but when Piers' glass joined the two in a clink there was a sense of ambition.. And determination. Jill was encouraged by this and chimed, "For victory!"

"And the off chance Jill won't suffer a hangover.." Chris added, even earning a small grin from Piers and Chris found himself savoring it.

The night air was cool against Chris' face. The motel next to the bar was gracious enough to allow the whole squad a room for each soldier at a reasonable price. So Chris couldn't complain even if the rooms were shitty. At least the balcony view wasn't as bad as he expected. He was almost grateful he got a top floor room. It was easier to smoke on the balcony without having to bother people with the smell. However, he wasn't expected to be joined anytime soon. So it was fair to say he was shocked when he saw Piers approach. It made sense.. His room was next to the Ace's..

"Can't sleep?" Chris tried for casual conversation, watching a sleepy Piers lean against the railing of the balcony. He hasn't known Piers for that long. They went on a few missions together but only enough to gather that Piers wasn't exactly one for small talk. It was becoming exceedingly obvious that work was the only thing he knew how to do.

"Something like that.." There was a sigh in his words as he rubbed the sleep out of his left eye with the back of his knuckles. Chris watched carefully out of the corner of his eye as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Just a dream.."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He flicked stray ashes onto the ground near his feet. He met Piers' gaze. He was watching the glowing end of Chris' cigarette intently.

"There is nothing to talk about, Captain.." Piers' guard went up. Damn.. It was worth the shot. Even if Chris should've known better. They shared an awkward silence then. Chris was trying to figure out how to break it when Piers beat him to the punch. "...it's seems so peaceful from here.."

Chris found himself staring at Piers... The male's face looked almost sad.. Broken at the seams as he stared ahead longingly. He followed Piers' stare out into the night sky of Australia. At that moment.. Chris felt as if he deeply understood his sniper.. Just for once.

"Hard to believe it's really chaos.." Chris hummed softly, balancing his cigarette between his lips.

"Hell on earth.." Piers agreed somberly. And Chris couldn't have said it more better. It was sobering in a sense.. Despite it all. Piers pushed himself off of the railing and stepped back. "Well.. Goodnight Ca-.."

"Piers.." Chris called out without meaning to. But when Piers turned, Chris was at loss for words. The words seized from his very lungs. Crap.

"Captain?" Piers turned after a long silence. Chris was quick to recover as Piers' expecting expression. It was now really just an awkward stare down.

"Get some good rest, you'll be needing it.." Chris hadn't expected a smile, but it was there, even if it was faint. Chris would take what he could get. He watched Piers retreat back into his room and felt a whole lot lighter. He was glad Piers decided to drop by..

Chris stubbed the burning end of his cigarette against the edge of the railing. He couldn't help but yield to a curious thought...

What was the dream about?

"Are you ready?" Piers had checked all of his equipment, patting himself down with gloved hands. He looked up at his captain as they neared the chopper. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the slice of the chopper blades.

"Ready as I'll ever be.." He adjusted the strap of his sniper and lowered his gaze. It felt as if he should be doing something.. Chris just wasn't his Captain after all.. Weither Chris knew it or not, he became some sort of a friend to the young Ace. But would that be appropriate? He felt a strong hand on his shoulder and lifted his head to look into the man's deep brown eyes.

"You know, you can back down.." Chris frowned softly. It sparked a sudden determination in Piers' stomach. He wanted to make the man proud...

Wanted to strive for this...

"I'll be fine.." He mumbled but the look on Chris' face was questioning, Piers leaned forward without thinking and spoke up louder next to the man's ear. "I got this!"

Chris nodded and patted his shoulder, before Piers could say or do anything more Chris placed something cold in his hand and closed his hand into a fist over the steel object, ushering him onto the chopper. Piers fingerless gloved hands squeezed and absorbed the object as he clumsily climbed onto the chopper with the rest of his men. Piers watched Chirs' figure shrink as the chopper lifted.

He waited until he couldn't see the man before opening his hand. His eyes widened.

Dog tags...

They were dog tags with Chris Redfield engraved into them. Piers fumbled for his earpiece, sliding it in, he pressed a button on his bluetooth, contacting his Captain.

"Captain.. Your tags, I-.."

"Just an assurance..." Chris' voice came in. He cleared Piers' silent confusion when he finished with an explanation. "You'll live to give that back to me.~"

Piers swallowed the lump in his throat, along with all his nervousness and uneasiness.. He looked at his temperare squad with a new found courage and nodded to himself more so.

"Yessir.." His words were a lot stronger than they had been since yesterday. He could do this..

"I'll let you get to it then..~"

Ren was grinning over his shoulder at Piers. Piers chose to ignore it and turned his attention to his men. They had already been givin' the briefing, but a pep talk wouldn't hurt. It's what Chris always did.. He was nothing like Chris but that didn't mean he couldn't give it a shot.

"We get in there and get out.. Remember, our goal.. What we are fighting for.." Piers had gotten their attention, all eyes were on him. He wasn't used to such attention and the tension was thick. "We die now and it'll all be in vain.. So let's make this count.."

Piers hadn't expected such an impact but it was there, strong nods and praises went around in that Chopper. Ren even threw a fist into the air.

The rest of the ride was in silence. Piers kept his stare out the window, watching the glistening water's surface. It helped him think. What he was getting himself into.. Making a difference. This was where he wanted to be.. Where he was born to be from the start. This was his first mission by himself.. Commanding his own team.. Even if it was Chris' it was his for this mission.. It could give him a leg up he really needed. And if it was one step closer on a safer world, hell he was all for it.

Submerged in his thoughts and coaxed in the scenery, Piers found himself being lulled. If it wasn't for the constant teetering, he would've drifted. The Indian Ocean was a lot bigger than Piers thought. He wasn't much of a traveler and when he did travel he was so focused on his work.. The mission, he was partly curious why he wasn't distracted on this one. Piers was dragged from his thoughts when the chopper suddenly lurched forward. Ren jerked from the front seat.

"Hang on!" He shouted. "We're under assault!"

Piers didn't have time to respond, he was thrown forward. It was as if everything went in slow motion. The smoke came first, spilling and choking the soldiers. Another jerk and Piers was thrusted further. He saw the windshield come closer than he could register and before he knew it he was crashing through it. The shock of being thrown and suspended through air overwhelmed him, squeezing whatever air he had left in his lungs.

On his way down, he felt his body being hurtled and thrashed against each tree branch, slowing his fall, but as soon as he hit the ground an immense shockwave of pain tore through him from his side. He choked on a strangled sound as the taste of copper flooded his mouth. His instincts told him to get the hell out of there when he heard a metallic crunch. Above, the chopper had swiveled and spun out of control. Piers had managed to drag his limp body out of the way before the chopper had landed on him and erupted in a big ball of flames. Without thinking, Piers stretched a trembling hand near the intense heat of the fireball. His men... Burned alive..

The heat was too strong he had to drag himself further out of the way, spitting up blood on his way out. His trembling figure was shaken and out of the shock his body was registering the pain. He couldn't bite back the pained scream. He lowered his blackening gaze towards his side where the source of his main pain was... A branch had caught and was sticking out just above his hip. He must've slammed harder into that tree than he would like to think. He gathered all the air he could take without much pain and grasped the branch. With a strangled groan, he pulled the branch out, the sound of splitting flesh deafened him as the bark was dragged out, blood spattered and stained the leafy forest floor.

"A-Aghn!" He croaked, throwing the branch weakly. The whole forest surroundings were spinning. He was alive... For now...

Piers' upper frame fell backwards with a few ached gasps. Everything hurt.. His head was pounding and he was still in a very great amount of shock. But he managed to crawl towards another tree, propping his mangled frame against it he fumbled for his first aid in his pouch. He could feel his life's essence drip down the side of his head warm and threatening.

He managed to bandage the wound with his medical gauze.. He tried to not use too much, he knew good and well he'd be needing it later...

With that out of the way, Piers reached for the button on his headset. The task itself was a lot more harder than it proved to be and Piers found himself blinking in and out of sleep.

"..Piers? Is everything okay?" Chris' smiling voice was distorted and grainy. Piers slowly drank in that strong voice. It gave him strength.. Hope.. God, he needed hope.. "Piers, it's only been four hours.. Piers? Answer me!"

"C-...Captain..." Piers croaked after a few deep breaths. He was struggling to find his voice through all his aches.

"Piers?!" Chris' voice abruptly changed for the worse.. He sounded afraid.. "Piers, what happened?!"

"I-.. I'm sorry.. Captain..." Piers panted, he threw his head back against the trunk of the tree, looking up at the wavering sky. He wanted to throw up.. He tried so hard, desperately clinging to Chris' voice. He weakly searched for the tags Chris had givin' him. A panic welling in his chest squeezed his heart in a tight fist.

Where was it?!

He patted his mangled body in a frantic search, a relief flooding him when he found them tucked in his pocket. His bloody hand squeezed them tightly; his lifeline.

"Shh, P-Piers, it's okay..." Chris' staticed voice came back to him. Cool water to a dry throat. "Just.. Just stay with me! Give me your coordinates!"

"I...I-I don't know.. The.. Chopper.. I-I..It crashed... I-I.. S..screwed up Captain.. I-I"

"Piers.. It's okay! Shh... It's fine! Okay? Please.. Stay with me.." Chris cutted through Piers' babbling. Though he sounded panicked himself.. Piers' eyes were feeling heavier by the minute...He slowly closed them with a sigh..

"I'm... sorry.. captain.." He couldn't stop himself from falling into the black.

/Author's Note/: There ya go, excuse the terrible spelling, this was a spur of the moment project. I'll try to update as much as I can, but It'll be hard, soooo.. Bare with me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Blah, finally got around to posting this up. Sorry to leave you hanging like this. Like I said, slow updates, got a lot planned for these two. Thanks for sticking around so far! Comments help.**

* * *

CHAPTER 2

Static.. The piercing agony; the slow drag of static. Chris found himself shouting into the walkie talkie.. Gaining the attention of the room around him. But Chris couldn't have cared no less.. Piers was his best soldier.. Heck, a friend.. He can't lose another.. Not now, not ever!

"Dammit, Piers! ANSWER ME!" ...

Nothing...

Cold fingers grasped Chris' heart in a tight squeeze... He shuddered, and slammed a fist into the desk causing the whole surface to tremble.. That was when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to face Jill, grave expression plastered to his face. Jill's concern was genuine.

"What happened?!" The question alone though unintentional sewed the seeds of guilt.. This was his fault..

"I... I forced Piers onto this mission.. The helicopter crashed and Piers could be hurt badly.." He sucked in a breath, now's not the time to get all flustered.. Piers was out there and he needed to keep that in mind.

"You taught Piers better than that.. I know he's alive.. That boy lived to serve you.. Sure you two didn't see eye to eye at first, but he always strove to make you proud.." Jill frowned.. It didn't help as much as she wanted it to, but it sparked a shard of hope. Piers had to stay alive.. Had to hold on.. And Chris would make damn sure of that.

"Alright, I need a strike team here, ASAP! We are gunna scan the whole damn perimeters of Africa!" Chris shouted above the sudden chatter about Piers' condition. "Remember when I said 'no man left behind'? Well, I damn well mean that!"

Carl was the first to pipe up, stepping forward towards their bull of a Captain. The whole team always pondered if he was brave, or straight up stupid.. But it was that kind of attitude that Chris appreciated even if it didn't seem so at the time.. A quality Piers had very well.

"I liked Piers and all.. But shouldn't we leave this mission to another unit? We got a mission of our own to do here..." Silence followed and that was when the heavy footfalls of Chris' footsteps stalked towards Carl. The man sort of shrunk in his position, but tried to keep a confidant posture.

"We are almost done with this mission, are we not?" Venom dripped from his words. There was no way in hell he was abandoning Piers..

"Chris, Carl is right.." Jill's voice echoed behind Chris causing the man to slouch under the heaviness of truth. "I don't like this as much as you do.. But we got to finish what we've started first.. Leave finding Piers to professionals...For now.."

The last part was heavily implied that she wasn't going down with a fight either. And she might not ever know it, but it was those last words that saved Chris from busting heads and spilling blood.. It gave him a sliver of hope..

"Alright.. Fine.. Call up a rescue unit.."

* * *

The damp mugginess was the first thing Piers felt.. He gasped, eyes snapping open when he felt the squirm of something between his fingers. The forest was darkening, making sight impaired. He trained his head stiffly looking at the appendage laced in Chris' dog tags.

A line of ants had used his fingerless gloved hand as an obstical to cross. For a moment, Piers just watched with a half lidded stare. It was hard to tell what breed of ant they were in the dimming light, but he didn't feel them biting so that was a good sign.. He lifted the hand and shook them off the best he could. The dog tags jingled, the sudden sound somewhat startled him at first, only leaving the sinking feeling of foolishness..

Crickets and the caws of birds made this forest loud.. A symphony of life.. It would've been nice if it was a vacation.. Or something.. But this isn't.. He couldn't hear any cries of the infected.. That alone was a blessing.. His mentality was returning to him now in chunks. He was recalling the whole event that happened before spacing out.. What time was it? He patted himself for his cell phone. He could call for help..

Where was his phone?

He hissed in realization that the device was sitting on his desk back at HQ.. Had he left in that much of a hurry? He pressed the button on his earpiece after collecting a breath and releasing a sigh.

"...C-..Captain.." His voice wavered when he realized the sound of his own voice was cracked and jagged.. Scratching his throat.. "C-..Come in.."

Static... Of course...

He needed to get to a place where he could get a signal.. That would require moving from his spot against the tree.. He blew a stream of air as he hauled himself up, using the tree trunk as support. His gloves became sticky.. Sap? Or blood? Blood wasn't exactly sticky, but his common sense wasn't fully in tack.

First things first.. He needed a fire..Light.. He needed to survive for tonight.. Food, maybe water if he could find a source.. In the morning, he'll see where it goes and go on from there. Using all the will he could muster, he staggered from the tree. His sore body screamed at him, and his bullet proof vest and other heavy equipment made it hard for him.. He felt heavy enough as it is.. Heavy and hot.. This damp muggy atmosphere made him sweat.. And due to scrapes and open cuts, the salt in his sweat stung to high heavens. But he can't think about that now.. He's been through worse... He laced Chris' tags around his neck and surveyed his surroundings in what little light that was provided for him.

The forest was lush and green, fragrances of many flowers and fruits.. Fruit that was a good sign. It meant food..

This couldn't be Africa.. So, where was he? His mind weakly faltered back to six grade, where he learned the layout of the U.S map. Back where he and Sally were passing notes. "Do you like-like me? Check 'yes' or 'no'." But he was drawing blanks other than that.. He'd have to worry about location later.. Survival was more important..

The forest floors were damp and loaded with fallen branches and leaves.. He could use this to make a fire.. He'd just have to create a dry fire pit... He knelt down, scooping out dead leaves and clearing out a section were it was only dirt.

inhaling from his injuries, he found it incredibly hard to breath.. He had to shrug off his bullet proof vest and then went his shirt. He hung his clothes on a low branch to keep them as dry as possible and went back to work, lean torso tensing when he crouched over the ditch he was making. This reminded him back at training courses where Alpha team had to camp out in the Amazons.. Of course they had tents back there, but the hot and muggy climate was no different..

With the pit made, Piers piled a bunch of twigs and leaves, this will act as kindling. He fumbled in his many pouches on his hips and pulled out a metal zippo lighter, flipping the lid up he sparked a flame near the makeshift pile. As the fire grew life, he fed twigs and leaves, caring for the flame and gradually stoking it with sticks then branches he found on the floor. Before nightfall, he had a roaring fire. It'd have to do.

It was more hot by the fire, but at least it was dry. And it kept animals back, so Piers wouldn't complain. Staring into the flames there was a small ache in his chest.. He pulled his knees close to his chest and tried his earpiece again..

"C..Captain..?" He guessed the time to be around... Eight? Maybe nine.. It felt like nine.. Maybe Chris was asleep? There wasn't an answer.. Only static. The arm dropped in defeat only to lift and guide a hand towards the tags around his neck. He squeezed the thin metal plates so hard that it hurt. He knew he should eat but he wasn't hungry.. His eyes scanned around until they found a bundle of brush next to the wreckage not far from reach of the fire's light.. Berries, perhaps? He got up to speculate, pain long forgotten.

Sure enough they were berries.. But what kind? Could be poisonous.. He saw the birds picking at them earlier.. How bad could they be if the birds could eat them? He grabbed a handful and sampled them. Poping two in his mouth, he crushed them on the roof of his mouth, drinking the juices as he chewed slowly. They weren't as sweet, they had a bitter sourness to them.. But they were better than the sticky paste he'd been tasting. Piers was careful not to eat too much, his upset stomach didn't need any more reason to ache. It was hard to believe that just this morning he was saying goodbye to his Captain..

* * *

The clock's tick just seemed to drag slowly on, the clicks seemed to taunt Chris.. Each second going by is a second Piers was in danger.. Or worse.. It was hard to focus on writing the end report when the thoughts clouded Chris' head and sturred his mind. It was unsettling. This virus.. This sin, it was to blame, and none of this would be happening if it wasn't still hanging around.. None of this would happen if Chris hadn't coaxed Piers into the mission..

A hand squeezed his shoulder but Chris didn't move.. It wasn't until he heard Jill's voice did he look up.

"They found nothing.. No sign of Piers.." She dragged out a sigh and rested her hip against Chris' desk. "Africa.. Is a big place, Chris.. But they combed for him.."

Chris was drawn to the large map that hung on the whiteboard. Africa was a big place.. But he taught Piers well.. Even if it drove him crazy.. He was going to find Piers. No man left behind, that was the moral he used and used well. Something he learned from his long line of work. Something he kept with him for so long. The man's eyes traced the outline of the shape on the map. Dropping across the ocean, he heard Jill sigh.

"Chris.." Her words were defeated, similar to waving a white flag in her weak attempt. "This isn't healthy.."

Chris hung his head, leaning it onto the surface of the table. He was thinking, turning words in his mind, attempting to make Jill understand.

"These are my men..." He whispered softly. It was broken.. He felt her hand on his back and tensed. She was trying to comfort him.. But he didn't want it. He just wanted to do right for once. Not be a total screw up. He rose up from the chair and approached the large map. Staring at it hard, stripping it for answers, possibilities. He uncaped a red marker that laid on the white board and dragged a red line across the Indian Ocean on the map.

"The chopper had to have crossed here.." He dragged the line straight through Madagascar and stopped to circle Africa. "Where have we searched?"

Jill sucked in a breath as she trekked towards the Captain. She took the marker from him and began crossing off areas in Africa.

"It has to be a remote area.. Unless the locals have plucked him up.." She capped the marker and handed it back to Chris. "We haven't had word from the locals yet.."

"Looks like we're going to Africa.."


	3. Chapter 3

_I am very sorry for this long delay, had computer issues, but I AM BACK! And here is another chapter.. And ya get to meet "Fred" You'll just see what I meaann..._

_Gawd, since I've looked and looked, I couldn't find Piers' past or childhood, so I thought about making one up, since this is fanfiction afterall, so keep that in mind when you read this chapter, 'kaaay? This didn't really happen, so don't complain about it if it's wrong. 8D Kthanxbai._

CHAPTER 3

_The office space was small.. Pictures of eagles and American pride had suffocated the dull room. Piers sat stiffly in the metal foldable chair, afraid to move.. Afraid to shatter the silence and get cut in the process. Paul, his drill Sargent was pacing back and forth in front of him. There was obvious disappoint in his step. The way he carried himself, swelled with pride even when he oozed with anger-Scratch that, he is always fucking pissed off. Piers picked his head up when he heard the man's grizzly voice out of habit._

_"When you train a mutt to do something.. You use repetition.. repetition and force.." He started.. Piers didn't like where this was going.. Part of him saw it coming when he opened his damn mouth. "Sometimes that fucking mutt needs to be kicked around.. Do you understand me?..."_

_"...Yessir.."_

_Piers barely heard himself whisper. He felt pathetic sized up to Paul.. Utterly pathetic.._

_"WHAT?!" Paul's loud voice shuddered Piers to the core and Piers forced himself to stay still, trained himself after all these years to not move against this bear or be mauled._

_"YESSIR!" Piers shouted, closing his eyes was his natural reaction. He heard the man snort, as if the very presence of him was a disgust and a disgrace.._

_"The next time I punish one of my mutts... You will be a good dog and learn from their mistakes, do I make myself clear?! Answer me boy!" That's right... The reason for him being here.. Paul was kicking the shit out of Ronny, one of the new boys in the boot camp.. It was utter fear and stupidity that clouded Piers' memory on what exactly Ronny did to piss Paul off.. Then again, Paul is always fucking pissed.._

_Piers didn't think, didn't even hesitate, his damn mouth was a huge problem with him.. It's what got him here in the first place but he fucking said it.. The words leaving his mouth and it was too late to take it back._

_"We are not dogs, father.." Yes.. Paul was his dad, but there was a reason nobody knew, a reason that the man never spewed such a ludicrous claim the simple fact he was ASHAMED in Piers.._

_"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU CALL ME?!" Paul boomed, grabbing a fist full of Piers' hair and jerking it back in one fluid motion. Piers' reaction was to tense, tense and shout._

_"SORRY, SIR! WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"_

_"See to it that is doesn't.."_

Piers shifted a dull ache brining his pounding head to realize the imagery dancing behind his eyelids was just that, a memory.. The ground was wet and hot, he could feel something crawling against his bare skin of his back and patched side, but it was the fact of not caring that kept him still; head rested on his bullet proof vest and folded shirt.

It was when he heard twigs break did his eyes snap open. The slow drag of footsteps at a stagger.. Piers knew that sound all too well and scrambled for his assault rifle. In the dawns sleepy light he squinted to see the figure stumble his way. The low grumble ruptured from the infected's throat as Piers squeezed the trigger, the head popping in a firework of blood and brain matter, skull fragments snapped and the body fell with a thud, leaking of it's life's essence.

With a shuddered breath Piers scanned his makeshift camp with the realization of what happened to him. But he can't break now.. Chris wouldn't so he won't either. He surveyed the body on the ground, this infected was a villager, the clothes made from a hide of some creature and the necklace of teeth was a dead give away.. Was there anything the virus didn't spoil? The mere thought bubbled an anger up Piers' throat as he limped back towards his clothes. He slipped into his shirt and latched on his vest, roping his scarf back around his sore neck. If there were infected in this area, Ja'vo couldn't be far.. He'd have to be ready, injured or not.

"I have to get to a high place.. Scope the area out.. Maybe get a signal.." Piers tasted his scratchy words.. He strained to talk, maybe for his sanity's sake. The sound of his own voice brought some comfort and at least he had some sort of plan; with that he stumbled forward.

* * *

"Chris, you need to eat something.." Jill's voice turned Chris from the plane's window. With his mission wrapped up and report sent in, he made damn clear to his higher up's that he was finding his sniper. Thankfully they understood and knew how Chris was. Jill, Finn and Carl agreed to tag along, shocking Chris that they actually volunteered to go instead of being forced. The way Chris saw it, the more the merrier. But he should've known better to drag Jill along. She was a nagging mother if not anything else.

"I can't.. Not with Piers out there.." Chris didn't expect himself to answer so bluntly, frankly he didn't expect himself to answer at all. He just didn't think. Jill gave an understanding look.

"Piers needs you at full strength right now.." Damn her reasoning. How could Chris argue with that?! Behind him, Chris heard Carl and Finn talking, mapping out possibilities on where the chopper could've landed. This was going to be a group effort. He was looking outside the window when Jill ordered him some breakfast.. Airline food.. Shitty food, but she was right, he needed to keep his strength up.. So far, the only thing he was running on was ambition.. 100% ambition and 0% sleep..

The plane passed over Madagascar, and Chris found himself drawn to it. A strange spit of land nestled east of Africa.. Tropical and hot as hell. Chris loathed tropical areas.. Too hot for a big guy like him. Not his cup of tea.

_"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.. Interrupt.." Chris fumbled for words at the doorway to Paul's office. In the background he could hear soldiers in training march and scream out their exercise, but he wasn't focused on that right now. He was staring at his old drill sargent who had a rookie by the hair._

_"Chris! My favorite student!" Paul beamed as he released the youth's hair. The boy lowered his head, but Chris caught a glymps of a face he could've sworn he reconized._

_"Just giving my usual pep talk.. You would know, you had plenty of those..~" Paul gave a healthy laugh and Chris' face broke out into a small smile. He had his fair share of beat downs and smacks from this man, but it made him strong._

_"But last I recall you weren't as rough, give the kid a break.." Chris frowned. He earned a snort from his former Sargent._

_"Nothing Piers can't handle, I assure you.." The name didn't ring any bells, so he dropped the subject, but then Piers spoke up in a mumbled voice._

_"I've had worse from other rookies.." He scowled, the insult and the implication was obvious.. Oh, this one had quite the mouth, not even Chris dared to talk to Paul like that. Naturally, Paul winded his hand back to slug the boy._

_"You ungrateful little bitch, how dare y-.." Chris had caught the arm before Paul was able to deliver the beating. He was spurred on by Piers and got brave._

_"Hold on, Sarg'..This one has fire to him..." Chris was captivated by Piers' sheer will and his smart mouth. He was curious. "I need recruitments and thought I'd go for the best while I'm at it.. I'll take this one, if he's willing to go..BSAA needs people like him~.." It seemed as if Chris' words brought out a reaction from the expressionless boy. Shock._

_"BSAA.. That means you're...Chris...-"_

_"Chris Redfield, at your service.. You heard of me?" It was his turn to be suprised. He was looking into Piers' hazel steely eyes._

_Usually when he gave that hard stare, people averted, but Piers accepted this challange gladly and fronted the best determined gaze Chris had ever seen. Especially from a Rookie. Piers may have been small, but he was headstrong, witty and from the looks of it a pain in the ass to put up with, but those are the best men for a job like this. Chris needed another soldier who wasn't afraid to speak up to Chris, or to talk back to him.._

_He needed Piers._

* * *

It was a long way down.. Piers had to be careful. The wounds were weighing him down and he felt heavier than he usually did with all of his gear. But he managed to haul himself up onto another branch, hugging onto the trunk for support. The height was enough to make anyone dizzy, but the view, when Piers focused on it, was.. Amazing.. He was breathlessly on the edge of the world it felt. He got a bird's eye view of the leafy treetops that stretched on endlessly it seemed to a pinprick view of the ocean. The morning light bathed the view in a shimmering gold and hit him in a sheen of warmth.

.. If he headed straight.. He'd reach the crystalline water.. All around him.. Tropical trees and more ocean water.. He was on an island.. His guess? The only island next to Africa... Madagascar... He was on Madagascar with god knows what creatures.. Alone...

"At least the view is nice.." Piers murmured, he couldn't help but be very pleased with himself that he was still in shape to crack a wise ass comment despite his dire situation.

Something furry fell on his arm and Piers snapped his attention to a wide eye'd creature. It seemed simultaneously that they both blinked. The creature then let out a scream... As did Piers, though he wouldn't proudly admit it to the guys later that he flailed with a less manly shriek and was thrown off balance by the sight of a large eye'd.. Cat thing. He toppled to the ground with a heavy thud and groaned. Luckily, there was a bed of leaves that caught his fall.

He was staring up at the glaring sun that reached him from breaks in the trees leaves. He sucked in a breath as he felt pressure on his stomach, something warm rooted there. Piers picked his head up to see the very same creature nesting on his chest with a chattering teeth and very large ears. It looked sleek.. Like a mongoose of some sort. It's tiny paws cupped it's mouth. Piers dared to say he had lost it.. Or was this thing actually... Concerned for him?

Yeah, nope.. He lost it.

_"CAPTAIN!" The shout echoed the dilapidated ruins of a building. Piers' legs moved without him thinking, he was on Chris' trail. Chris was darting after a shadow. What the HELL was he thinking?! Running out in full view towards a target that could be leading him into a trap!_

_Thankfully, Piers counted his blessings when they both were led into a dead end...The blessings ran dry when he heard several clicks and guncocks behind them. Piers was the first to turn. As he suspected, it was a trap.. J'avo weren't as stupid as he thought..._

_Thanks to Piers' quick thinking, however, as soon as he turned, he was able to nail each J'avo in the head, all accept one that had hurled itself onto him and sank a blade into his shoulder. If it wasn't for Chris who put a bullet into it's brain, Piers probably wouldn't have lived. Then again, if Chris hadn't been so wreckless..._

_"Piers! Are you alright?!" Chris knelt down next to the younger male. Piers let out a slow breath he realized he'd been holding._

_"What the HELL were you thinking?!" Piers shouted without contemplation. "Pulling a stunt like that, you could've gotten yourself KILLED!" There was fire in Piers' eyes, fire and worry. Chris could've gotten hurt or worse.. The man who saved him from his father._

_"I thought I heard someone.. I had to see if it was someone who needed help.." Chris admitted sheepish at first, then he sounded angry after a moments of thought. "I told you to stay put! I didn't ask you to follow me, Nivans!"_

_"If I didn't you wouldn't be here!" Piers hissed as Chris helped him up. He didn't think his actions through when he leaned on the older man for support. But Chris didn't complain as he peeled Piers' vest back over his shoulder carefully, undoing the zipper to his jacket he examined the pale bare shoulder of it's wound._

_"Thanks...For disobeying.. I mean..."_


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, as promised, here's the next chapter! And as promised, you will understand who Fred is if you haven't guessed it yet. xD _

CHAPTER 4

Piers remembered when his grandfather would sit him on his knee, his grandfather was an old war torn veteran with a false leg, and Piers regarded the man highly. Was distraught when he never came home; He'd tell Piers a story of little soldiers who were picked off one by one by another traitor.. Sure it was a fluffed up nursery rhyme used to tell kids the cruelty of the world with fun little words and pleasant images.. All of which never really did fool Piers. As a child, he was rather realistic. He never believed in Santa Clause, or the Easter Bunny.. Maybe it was how he was brought up. He learned to shoot a gun around eight years old. _Ten little soldier boys went to dine; one choked his little self, and then there were nine._

The sky seemed to stretch on forever, like the sea itself, Piers never really pondered, never really bothered. Through the leafy roof of the forest, he found himself hooked. At a distance, he heard something that wasn't apart of of the forest.. Man made.. Tearing through the sky it was a Chopper, Piers realized, a BSAA chopper. Without thinking, Piers belted and waved his arms in a desperation to be seen.

"HEEYYYYYYYY.." But much to his realization, his hopes sank along with every thought of being saved.. The chopper hovered past him and was swallowed into the sky. He wasn't loud enough..

For the first time since this entire mishap, Piers felt.. vulnerable. He felt.. pessimistic.. He was going to die.. He wasn't going to return Chris his tags.. Chris' tags... Piers fished inside his shirt and pulled out the tags with shaken hands as he sank to his knees. He had to return them.. They won't find them unless they fish them from Piers' rotting corpse.. No, Piers will return them. It was a soft weight on his knee that made piers overlook his occupied hand..That same creature before.. The one that made him fell..

Greeaaaat...

The mongoose thing seemed to be fascinated with Piers.. Following him where ever Piers limped to. At first Piers contemplated on shooting it, but what would that have solved? He then resorted to shooing it away with his boot and a nudge to the side. Only to get a hiss in response and a return later. The thing was annoying more so than it was dangerous.. Cute or not, Piers didn't want it around!

He finally gave up when the creature launched itself onto his shoulder and chattered in his ear. Causing all of the hairs on the back of his neck to shoot up and the teeth grinding to remain rooted in his mind.. Like nails on a chalk board..

"For the love of all that's good! What do you want?!" He shouted in defeat. "Can't you see?! I am bigger than you! I can KILL you!"

But the creature didn't seem to care less as it nibbled lightly on the lobe of his ear. Piers twitched in reaction and swatted the thing off of his shoulder.

"Cut it out!" He watched the creature land on it's back in a not so graceful manner and fought a smile on his lips. It turned itself over and hissed again, scampering up onto his boot. The sniper couldn't lie.. He was amused.

So that's how Piers met Fred.. He couldn't think of any other names to call it. It was very dorky looking.. Like a dopey ferret or.. Something..Long snout sandy fur and a long monkey like tail that curved. It's rounded ears were a sight to see as was it's big beady eyes. It was the size of a small cat, maybe it was a baby? It was hard to tell.. But Fred was the first name that popped into his mind. So Fred it became.

Piers never had any animals before growing up, so he didn't know what to expect. He certainly didn't expect finding a furry friend in his misfourtains.. But some part of him was.. Happy.. It wasn't exactly a person.. But he'd take what he could get.

"So... Here I am.. Stuck here with a large ear'd cat thing and no hope what so ever.." Piers finished his story looking down at Fred who was curled on his chest. The furry creature poked it's head up and Piers had to laugh. "I'm talking to an over grown rat..."

The realization should have scared him, but he smiled and stroked it's long snout.

"You're not so bad.. I guess.. Aside from your looks you're very sweet..." He spoke softer.. Frank kept him.. Sane? Or made him insane.. One or the other.. "Can you keep a secret?"

Fred answered him with a large yawn and propped it's chin on it's small paws. Piers took that as a go ahead and lulled his head back against the tree to look up at the sky.

"I only wanted to make him proud.. Y'know? A better place for us all to live in..Sounds like a dream, doesn't it?" Piers' words trailed and he rested his palm on the length of Fred's furry back. "Chris is probably ashamed in me.. I embarrassed him when he relied on me the most.."

Fred was asleep when Piers last checked, what more did he expect? He sighed and ran his palm down it's back.

* * *

"Captain.. It's been three days, sir..." Finn had trailed as he returned from his sweep. No luck. No Piers. Things were getting out of hand and the search team was giving up hope. Chris desperately clung to that hope. Piers couldn't be dead.. Not Piers Nivans.. "I think we should head ho-"

"We're finding Piers.." Chris wouldn't even allow Finn to finish. He was fuming mad, and that was certain. Finn looked down, the gesture was similar to ducking his head in shame. He respected Mister Nivans.. He didn't like the idea of Piers being hurt or missing.. He had to keep Chris' hopes up, not tear them down at a time like this! The search rescue worker, Dana held a grim face through all of this.

"He is just one soldier.. We have other priorities, Mr. Redf-.."

"He was one of my best.." Chris gritted, and even Carl knew when to back off when the Captain began to speak through his teeth like that. However, the bitch only sighed and removed her glasses to look at Chris with cold, brown eyes.

"We have higher things at stake, here.. Captain Redfield..."

Finn stared at the assault rifle in his hands and squeezed the weapon, eyes shutting. He was debating.. Piers didn't deserve this.. He was trying to help these people and they wouldn't even return the favor.. He didn't think, he threw down the weapon at his feet, gaining the attention of his teammates and the lady.

"I-I won't go any further.." He swore softly. Looking up at the rescue worker with fiery youthful eyes. "I won't help any cause until my friend is here safely with us!"

Chris looked at Finn with a shocked expression, his eyes reading the young soldier.. A new found respect reached him then.. Then the sound of another weapon being thrown down caught Chris' attention, this time to the left of him. Carl..

"Shit, I won't either! We need our sniper.. And I want my best friend back!"

All around, his men were tossing their weapons, revolting.. There was a stinging in Chris' eyes, this is why he loved his soldiers.. It wasn't a team but a family.. No one left behind.. Chris taught them well.. And he never been more proud. With a smirk he shook his head.

"You heard my men.. We're looking for Piers.."

* * *

The mountain was steep, a long way down would usher his fall.. Piers didn't want to fall. He'd rather live over anything else.. But he had to get up to a higher point.. Get a signal for the radio device.. The mountain had been a steep climb and Piers had made it to the point where he could see the tops of the trees once more. But without anything substantial to eat or drink he was feeling weak to haul himself along the face of the rock wall. There was a very slender ledge that needed to be crossing to get to a wider path of the mountain.. Only problem was, Piers' bulky gear and not to mention the wound on his side hindered him. He had to hug the wall of the mountain and scoot along. Consintraiting on one foot after the other.

Fred had dug his nails into the slope of Piers' shoulder to hold on. Halfway across, leave it to Fred to sneeze in his ear and disrupt Piers' balance. Piers gasped as he swayed backwards, Frank sliding off, quick thinking made Piers grab for the scruff of Fred's neck and threw himself against the wall, allowing the creature to scurry onto his head, planting his paws in the scalp of Piers head. With a steadied breath Piers stiffly watched the pebbles under his boots to break away and tumble down the face of the mountain. A fate that would've been his.

The tips of his fingers were starting to burn as Piers slid across the narrow path, he could feel his heart hammering in his ear but he was getting close enough to reach the point.. His body gave way when he threw himself towards the thicker pathway, landing on his stomach he shakily cheered. Fred sniffed his nose.

"You'll be the death of me.." Piers breathed, glaring at the chattering creature as he sat up on his elbows.

But at least he had a destination.. A point B to reach.. He was almost there. It'll keep him preoccupied with staying alive.. He had to. When Piers pushed himself up, the dog tags had slipped from his shirt and jingled around his neck. Giving them a quick squeeze, he tucked them away once more.


	5. Chapter 5

_I finally got around to posting another chapter. I tried my hardest not to rush this one, but needless to say I have strung this on for too long, I didn't expect it to take this long._

**I will not die, I WILL survive.**  
**I will not die, I'll wait here for you. I feel alive, when you're beside me.**  
**I WILL not die.**  
**-three days grace**

* * *

Chapter 5

Chris unrolled the marked up map with Jill's help across the table. Carl and Finn were in the background, discussing who would find Piers first. It was moments like that, that made Chris thankful to have a determined team.. He was glad he brought the two along for some sort of comic relief. Jill uncaped the red marker and crossed off their last search. The whole area of Africa had been marked off, blundered in red. Chris' hope was fading as he toyed with his coffee mug, watching the dark brown liquid ripple. Jill noticed.

"Chris..." She used soft, kind words as she placed a hand over his, fingers squeezing his folded hand. "We'll find him.. We just have to keep looking.."

"We searched this whole damn area.." He huffed, taking his hand back to lift the mug off the map. It left behind a coffee ring stain over Madagascar. How could he? He was turning into a god damned hypocrite.. He took three gulps and placed the B.S.A.A mug back down. The thought occurred to him then. He lifted the mug up again and looked at the brown circled island.

"..We crossed Madagascar to get here..?" He mused, as if checking to make sure. He was focused on the blotch of a island on the map. "The same route Piers had took?"

"Yeah..?" Jill wasn't sure where Chris was going with this. And Chris had shoved himself from the table, starting for the door. This took both Carl and Finn by surprise.

"S-Sir?!" Finn sputtered as he started to follow Chris. Their captain turned and grinned weakly in assurance, the first time since Piers had went missing.

"We overlooked Madagascar!" He kicked the door open and called over his shoulder. "I'll give the coordinates to our Pilot, we move now..!"

Jill was speechless. She looked back down at the map and began folding it back up along the table's surface. How could they just up and missed that detail? They all just automatically assumed Piers had crashed in Africa. But would they make it in time?..  
As if the Gods answered all prayers that moment the radio on the desk in the cabin came to life. A small voice peeling from the static.. Jill lifted her head slowly and Finn's jaw dropped. Carl was the first to register, storming towards the desk, pratically throwing himself onto it.

"CAPTAIN, IT'S PIERS!" Carl shouted and heavy footfalls thundered back into the Cabin when Chris snatched the small hand held device.

"Piers?! PIERS?! Do you read me?!" There was a dead silence muffled by the static, and Chris found himself holding his breath. He was hanging on by a thin thred of hope. At any moment could snap. He found himself praying to a God he rarely believed in.

"T..That was my ear.. C-Captain.." A voice rasped out and Chris almost cried out in relief to all that was good. He couldn't contain his excitement.

"P-Piers.. Thank god.. We are coming to get you.. D-Do you hear me, Soldier?!" Chris swallowed the lump of relief. His shoulders felt lighter, a coldness pierced him through the heart and spreaded through his body when he realized that all that kept his body going was the fumes hope in finding Piers..  
He was alive..

"Y-Yessir.. I-I'm at a village at the t-..top of the.. mountain.. Madagascar... I..it's deserted.. I...Forgive me.. C..cap-.." Piers was babbling. Chris shook his head and shouted into the radio.  
"You just stay alive, do you hear me?!" His voice was stern as he started towards the door with Jill, Carl and Finn trailing after him. "That's a god damn order!"

* * *

Stay alive.. That sounded easy enough.. It'd be more easier if he wasn't so damn weakened. Piers' limbs felt heavy and the heat was choking him. But his Captain was coming for him.. disappointed or not.. Chris was coming.. He contemplated which was worse.. Chris upset with him or being lost in this damn jungle for god knows how long. That was a no brainer.. Fred was laying flat on his shoulder, Piers focused on the creatures soft breathing, the way it's sides twitched, how it squeaked upon exhaling. He almost smiled as he kept himself at a slow stagger.  
He noticed the swell of smoke that climbed between the trees at a distance, he figured a village.. It was what he told Chris..He only hoped he was right. The tip of his boot caught something and Piers didn't have the energy to catch himself when he tripped forward. Fred lurched on his shoulder, wide awake when Piers slammed into a tree, coughing shakily.  
It was the small nibble on the lobe of his ear that made Piers push himself off the tree with a heavy pant. He dragged a shaken hand down his face.

"'m okay.. I'm.." He muttered, but the words trailed when an unsettling growl rumbled from behind him. That didn't sound like an infected or a J'avo for that matter.. Piers' limbs pulled to life, shooting with adrenaline when he spun around. A large creature that looked similar to a grotesk fleshy bear..  
Did they even have fucking bears in Madagascar?!  
No, he was sure they didn't! But that thought left him when the pulsating creature had slammed it's paw into his side, and he was thrown into a tree, the gasp knocked out of him and his gun leaving his hands. Fred had plopped onto the ground next to Piers' thigh and scurried up towards the Bear like creature, sinking it's tiny teeth into the monstrous B.O.W's paw. That seemed to gain it's attention. The creature howled and swatted at Fred, missing when Fred jumped and bolted.

Piers felt his hand go to his side, falling into a gaining puddle of blood. His wound had reopened. Christ.. The blood was rising up his throat. A tainted liquid copper taste filling his mouth. He forced it back down and threw himself to the side when the B.O.W attempted to ram him. This failed when it's large head smashed into the tree. The trunk groaned and snapped, breaking into tiny splinters. That could have been Piers.. The sniper paled at that thought as he dragged himself towards his only line of defense, his discarded sniper. He felt teeth sink into his ankle and he was dragged away from his weapon. Nails digging into the damp forest floor they caught onto a large rigid branch.  
Piers didn't think, he clutched onto that branch and through the splitting pain, twisted around and bashed the B.O.W's head as hard as he could with said branch.

The B.O.W shrieked as it threw itself backwards. Piers seized that precious moment to lung for his gun, as soon as his bleeding hands caught the weapon, he quickly flopped onto his back and squeezed the trigger, the bullet snapping into the grizzled creature's head in an explosive flesh torn sound. Piers looked away as the grotesk fluids and juices of the creature's vanquish collected with a gargle howl and spattered onto the forest floor. The foul stench that made him gag.

Piers' wavered vision swayed as he ran his sand papered tongue sweeping across his cracked lips, he turned onto his stomach and gasped as he rode out the waves of pain. The wails of the forest sounded submerged in warm water. He didn't have the energy to keep going.

* * *

The ground was soft and squished under Chris' massive boots as the chopper landed. Chris didn't wait for Carl to land the chopper, he just jumped and landed with Finn and Jill in suit. Chris looked over his bulky shoulder at the duo who nodded in union. They crept cautiously down the edge of the forest of Madagascar, the waters viciously lapped at the bank of the beach. At a distance, Chris noted the clamber of smoke bubbling between the trees.

"Pick up the pace, we got a ways to go!" Chris barked above the shrieks of the forest. They couldn't land any closer, the trees were too thick. Chris hated.. Hated jungles.. As mentioned before.. A big burly guy like him? Didn't belong in such an enviroment.

The first thing Chris noticed was the greenery.. It was hard to miss.. Then the unbearable heat.. The buzz of bugs and mosquitos were the next thing the man noted.. How did Piers hold out this long was beyond Chris.. It was fucking amazing. Jill voiced his thoughts.

"It's incredible the kid was able to hold out for so long.." The words caused Chris to puff up with some sort of pride. It was his soldier.. His sniper..

"C...Captain.. Sir..!" Finn caught Chris' attention. The man followed Finn's pointed finger to a creature that was squeaking their way.. Chris made a face and aimed his pistol in it's direction. Jill stopped him with a scowl. How guys could take sick pleasure of shooting baby animals was beyond her.

"Save it for the J'avo, Chris.. That is a fossa." She snapped. And Chris looked from the strange Mongoose looking creature to Jill with a silent snarl.

"A what?" It could have been a J'avo in his defense! The thing looked weird enough to be one anyway. Finn pipped up from behind them.

"A Fossa, they are common in Madagascar, the feed off of meat and they're excellent climbers!" He helpfully supplied. Chris snorted. They needed to find Piers, not a animal lesson.. He was a soldier not a zoologist.

"Hang on, Sir..." Carl muttered as he started towards the chattering creature, it jumped from another tree and faced them once more.. "I think it wants us to follow it.."

"What?" Chris echoed in disbelief. "We don't have time for this.. We need to find Piers.." He snapped as he started in the direction of the smoke. Carl shrugged and soon followed along with Jill. However, Finn was reluctant.

The village was on top of a steep edge of Madagascar. The soldiers had to climb their way up. The task was difficult with all that bulky gear, but Chris managed to top it and pull each of his members up and over. When Finn clapped his hand into Chris', he slipped on the rocky edge and hung there, clutching his Captain's hand. Chris hoisted the small man up with ease. He was about Piers' size maybe a bit smaller.

"Th-thanks, Captain!" He breathed silently with a sheepish smile. Chris gave a firm nod and turned his attention to Jill's voice.

"Chris.." She was staring at the same Fossa that was already across from them.. Waiting? Chris made another sour face. It was fixated in confusion. What was up with that thing?

Chris didn't have time to ponder it throughly when a bullet had grazed his shoulder, alarmed, the team bolted behind whatever cover they could reach. Chris crouched behind a tree and dared a peek. The top they reached was walled off by a higher cliff, they were boxed in. And whatever had shot at them didn't show themselves. However a wet gargle cry confirmed whatever assumption Chris had.  
J'avo.. If they were here, they must've reached Piers.. If that was the case... Chris had threw himself out of cover. There were six J'avos that looked his way. Chris nailed three in the head, ran out of bullets and charged at the remaining three.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" He heard Jill scream, but the truth was, he wasn't. He decked one in the face, the feeling of bone smashing under his fist was a dignifying feeling, it added with a satisfying crack. He was quick to take out the other two with a tackle.  
He grunted his answer as he snapped the wiggling J'avo's neck. They had guns for christ sake, but it was a good thing they didn't know how to use them.  
Jill swaggered her way towards Chris, fire in her eyes, she opened her mouth to shout as Carl was helping Finn up by his elbow. But her words were sharply cut off when a gunshot tore through the atmosphere, Chris felt his cheek grazed, a bullet swept past Chris and hit a J'avo that lingered behind them. Chris looked to Finn and Carlos. they were just as clueless.

"E-...Even now.. I'm saving your ass, C-Captain.." Chris jumped at the failure voice. It came from atop of the wall. Piers was laying on his stomach, perched beaten and shaken from his spot. Chris couldn't stop the sharpness in his voice, relief hit him hard enough to make him stagger.

"Piers!" Chris darted towards the wall of rock. His tired eyes were wide in shock, the young sniper coughed rapidly as he dragged himself weakly. "Ca-Careful!"

"I.. I think my ankle is busted... Captain.. I-I can't.."

"I'll catch you.." The man simply stated as his arms outstretched. Piers looked hesitant. But both knew he had been through worse than a little height.. So Piers dragged himself over the edge and with a deep breath, he let himself fall.  
As Chris promised, he caught the young man when Piers had fell into his arms, bridal style and staggered a bit. Piers felt so light.. and weak. Chris couldn't stop himself from holding Piers close, cradling the weak youth against his chest.

"Oh thank goodness...!" He breathed softly into Piers hair as the sniper weakly rested his head tucked under Chris' chin automatically. He repeated this praise a few more times.

Jill was smiling softly and Finn accepted a high five from Carl.  
But Chris' smile was short lived when he felt a wet spot bleeding into his shirt. Piers was wounded.. And wounded badly. He was even more surprised when Piers started to struggle.. Trying to get get out of the hold.

"C..Captain.." He managed to rasp and Chris obliged and steadied the sniper on his shaken feet. His concern with over babying the sniper left him when Piers used him as a crutch. He was digging around for something in his vest, shakily.

"Piers, we need to get you to a hospital.."

".. Wait.." He croaked softly. Pressing something into Chris' hands.. Chris looked down and speechless stared..  
His dog tags...

Chris shook his head and threw them down at his own feet, yanking Piers into his arms and the solider just melted.

"I am just glad YOU are safe.. I could care less about those..." Piers panted softly.. His expression was an irked smile.. He couldn't pinpoint why.. Was it something he said..?

"That's nice... C-Captain, but with all do r..respect... Pick those fucking tags up! I risked my limbs, literally for those!" Chris couldn't hold in the chuckle that rumbled in his chest. Piers had earned the right to order this Captain around... Just the one order.

"Yes sir~" He grinned as he scooped the tags and Piers up.

* * *

_I am not too proud of this chapter. But it's up, I want to thank you for your patients and I promise I'll try much harder on my next chapter. Dx_


	6. Chapter 6

**Blublublublub.. Here is another chapter! The last actually, I am litterally happy but sort of sad to end it. Like.. Watching a baby grow up and leave the house.. Or... Something. O_o Anyway, Shoutouts:**

**Cielshadow17: 8D I honored your wish! Fred stays!**

**4nipr0: Yessssss, Chris got his cute little sniper back, and thank you for sticking around! **

**raindropdew: Thank you for your feedback, I am glad you enjoy the story and am relieved that we share the same humor! xD **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The hospital was congested, Chris could feel all eyes rested on him as he sat in the metal chair. His large frame wasn't meant for sitting in something like that, and in different situations it would've been comical. Chris didn't blame them for staring. He looked like shit.. Felt like shit and hadn't slept for shit it was all.. Basically shit. His gear felt heavy, he himself felt heavy he didn't even bother to shower.. He probably should have now that he thought about it.. He only preyed that the eyes that were glued onto his battered form were really on the cage near his ankle. The cage containing the little fossa thing.. Chris figured Piers would appreciate if he kept it.. or something. It did technically save his life. The sound of clicking heels caught Chris' attention, he lifted his stare.

"We aren't allowed to keep.. Pets in the hospital, sir.." The nurse kept her tone polite, so Chris kept his careful smile on his lips. This young woman took one look at Chris, surveying him. It didn't bother Chris, he held the cage up and crained his head to stare at the chattering critter. She wouldn't believe it's purpose even if Chris told her.. Hell he was still having trouble believing it.

"This will only take a minute.. I need to see someone.. Nivans Piers.." The woman's face dropped into a small, weak smile, as if it all made sense to her. Maybe it did, but it didn't for Chris. What was going on?

"Sure, he's right this way, Mr. Redfield.." She motioned for Chris to follow her, Chris did but he didn't bother masking the shock that came over him. How did she know his name and why did her whole aura change?

"You know who I am?" The question echoed the halls as he followed the woman towards a row of rooms where the hallway broke up into two pathways. Chris would have to ponder the strange layout later, so many rooms..

"Of course.. Mr. Nivans asked for you as soon as he woke up.." The simplicity of her statement made Chris' heart drop into his stomach, skipping a beat. Piers asked for him? His first words?

They stopped at room 68. Chris tried to look over the nurse's shoulder to peer into the window, but he could only see the foot of the bed. He had so much to say, so much he wanted to say but as soon as the nurse opened the door all thoughts all words were taken from him and he didn't know how to take them back. His eyes met with Piers.

The young sniper was looking better, his bed was sat up, and a nurse was feeding him apple sauce. Chris was meek with his steps, he reached the side of the bed and stood next to the nurse. Up close it was easy to see the chalky bruises on the young ace's boyish face. But that wasn't the first thing Chris saw.. No, what he saw that filled him with such a red rage that even surprised himself was the young nurse, making googly eyes as she fed Piers.

That wasn't gonna fly!

The television behind Chris filled in the silence between them as Chris nodded in Piers' direction, they exchanged silent hellos. The nurse snapped out of her daze to give Chris a look, Chris kept a shaken smile ghosted over his lips as he took the applesauce and spoon from her. She took the hint and returned the sheepish grin to walk out of the room, Chris watched her close the door behind her and waited for that soft click to turn his attention to Piers. Piers kept his head down, stare locked on his bandaged hands. They shared an awkward silence as the television continued to scroll on a soap opra in spanish.

Chris busied himself with the applesauce, dipping the spoon into the yellow substance, scooping the tip of the spoon across the edges of the rim to collect the sauce. He leaned forward, bringing the spoon in front of Piers. Piers looked up, almost shocked at the gesture, he stared as if trying to figure and leaned in to take the bite when he realized Chris wasn't going to withdraw until he did. The reluctance was there, but Chris chose to ignore it, pulling the spoon from Piers' lips to scoop another spoon full.

"The doctors say I should be out soon.." Piers broke the silence, Chris had to force himself not to pause his movements, he held the spoon to Piers' mouth who accepted what was offered to him without thought this time around. It looked like it took him more effort to do even that. Chris nodded, taking the information in. A sound of acknowledgment settling within the back of his throat.

"That's good.. Will you be able to look after yourself? Or will a family member help?" Chris slid the spoon out, eyes lingering on the pink tongue that darted out to lick the stray bit of apple sauce that fell on his lower lip. He focused a little too much on that and shook from it.

"I am more than capable of taking care of myself, Captain.." Piers muttered a little too quickly, giving off the impression that he had struck a nerve somehow. What had he done wrong to earn such a snappy retort? Chris collected the last bit of applesauce with the spoon and mouthed a silent, apologetic "o".

A soft squeak broke the uncomfortable silence and Piers tried to sit up, when this failed him, Chris ushered the youth to lay down as he placed the apple sauce and spoon onto the tray near them. He thanked whatever heavens were above that the stupid rodent had made itself known, because he certainly forgotten about the cage near his boot.

"What was that..?" Chris felt the question follow him as he bent down and lifted the cage by the wire handle and held it up for Piers to see. He watched the young sniper's face slowly lit up and swelled with a warm pride. It felt good to know he could at least do something right and make a good choice in catching the little bastard. (All in which WASN'T EASY AT ALL!) The task itself took he Finn and Carl to corner the little guy all the while Jill snickered in the background.

"I figured you'd want a little pet?.."

"Thank you.. Captain.."

Score one from the boys back home!

* * *

As usual, Chris always dubbed fate as a funny thing, it can never be predicted or judged.. It always has a funny way of creeping up on you when you least expect it. And in the past few days, Chris had learned a lot about that.. Fate, such a funny word that can hold so much meaning yet nothing at all at the same time. Meeting Piers, losing Piers.. Finding him... All of which led him to realize a sliver of feelings for him. Chris thought at first to be admiration. Piers was a marvel, a work of art.. But losing him even for a few days tore Chris nearly in half.. He would've felt the same way if any of his men were lost sure, that was how Chris Redfield worked.. No men left behind.. But when finding Piers, he wanted to hold the kid.. Protect him and make sure nothing were ever to happen to him. He was more than certain he wouldn't have done that with any of his men. And that stupid nurse who was and probably still is giving him goo goo eyes as she cares for **his** sniper.. But surely that couldn't possibly mean..

Again, fate was funny like that.. Fate or chance, whichever fell to play, Chris didn't particularly wanted to get into.. What he wanted to get into was a hot shower.. He had an hour to freshen up before Sherry came over for their planned visit. With everything out of the way, he had promised to keep her updated with his missions. She was close to Claire and in turn he became close to the blonde acting as an older brother to her. He felt sort of bad that he didn't keep her updated with Piers and agreed to tell her everything when she arrived.

"Your apartment.. It's nice..~" Were her first words upon entering. Nice was a word.. Chris wasn't sure if it was the right one to describe Chris' place..

He had just recently moved in, a month ago to be exact and still had boxes stacked up in the corner he had yet to unpack. Work and gym come first and Chris simply hadn't gotten around to getting that done. The floor was neat needless to say, minus the new little brown pawprints that decorated here and there. ( Thanks to that little weasel Piers called Frank, Fred? Whatever! He promised to keep an eye on it for Piers until he was released from the hospital.) Other than that it was a nice little one bedroom one bath perfect for a solitude creature as he.

"Ahh, thanks.." Chris answered sheepishly clapping a large hand against his neck. He watched Sherry take in her surroundings in that usual Sherry way. She thoughtfully lifted a framed picture of he and Claire, posing in their earlier youth and smiled. Nostalgic days, Chris had to agree, back when life was much more simplistic. He could tell by the glint in Sherry's eye she was tracking back to her youth. Not that it was that long ago, she was still very young by Chris' standards.

"How is Piers?" She asked, placing the frame back onto the end table as Chris was scooping up a pile of dirty clothes clumped on the sofa for her to sit. He ended up tossing them on the bathroom floor next the the washing machine with a fading promise of doing laundry later. Chris returned into her view and sighed.

"He is doing a lot better.." He had to step over Fred as he scampered by, clearly pissed off at his new surroundings. The sight of him surprised Sherry as she watched it scamper into the kitchen with a hiss. Chris felt the need to quickly supply an answer of some sort. "Yeah, he is not a cat or dog person it turns out..~"

"That was Piers'?" She stood on the balls of her feet to attempt to peer into the kitchen, looking out for the thing she had saw that nearly tripped Chris. Chris gave a soft chuckle and shrugged his shoulders as he plopped onto the couch. Sherry was reluctant, but she followed him in suit.

"It's honestly a long story.." Chris really didn't want to go into depth on that aspect. He was at a relief when Sherry dropped the subject and shifted in her place on the couch. Sherry wasn't the type of girl to complain about her situation no matter the circumstances, Chris liked that in the girl.. But was also a downfall considering he never really knew if what he was doing was the right thing when it came to her. He valued their friendship too much to make a mistake and drive her away. But it Chris had a lingering feeling it was her concern that always brought her back..

_I'm supposed to be the one to guide her.. I am her elder for christ sake.._

The thought was shattered when Sherry turned to face Chris, pulling hi from his self scolding to meet her stare. And there it was again, concern. He had to play that brotherly grin he had learned by practice with Claire.

"I get the feeling you didn't ask me to come here for a chat, Chris.." She said softly. And she was right, Chris would like to have said he had given her credit on that. But he was much to proud to convey that she was right. She usually is. Chris raked a hand through his hair under watchful eyes and looked towards the television that was turned off. The black screen showed him his reflection in distortion. His black tee shirt and casual blue jeans, socked feet.. He looked tired more less. He met Sherry's stare and sucked in a quiet breath.

"It's about Piers.." Chris said it in a way that alarmed even him.. The taste of it all was surreal and damn that blonde for knowing him so well.

"Do you have feelings for him?" It wasn't said with disgust. Sherry wasn't like that, again, with the whole polite thing.. You couldn't help but love her. Chris looked away and that answer was clear enough for her, she voiced her opinion with an action: A smile.

"I know, I shouldn't, I know this goes against everythi-"

"Does he make you happy?" Sherry tore through Chris' babbling and derailed his sentence. Leaving the man to blankly stare at the girl before him as if she was a new species to walk the earth and he was sent to study her.

That is a question he never really even thought to ponder.. Does Piers make him happy? He thought back to the moment at the bar.. Then on the balcony.. Hell he was surely happy to have found Piers alive but.. Did that actually meant anything at all.. Chris mentally kicked himself- of course.. Of course, Piers did make him happy.. The sniper was everything he could hope for in a partner. He was sensible, graceful, a voice of reason to him. He listened to Chris but also knew when to question his methods. He was the perfect balance to him..

"Yes.." Chris blurted without meaning to and Sherry had her answer, nodding as if savoring it.

"Then what difference does it make?"

* * *

Piers had pulled on a tan turtle neck shirt gingerly as he sat on the hospital bed. His strength had returned, but still little things taxed him. Neverthless, he convinced his doctor that he was well enough to leave on one condition.. He is to be looked after by next of kin.. Which frankly was going to be a bitch considering his mother and father were off doing their own thing across seas and any other family was either dead or out of reach.. Piers wasn't one to be close to any of his family member, he lived on his own in an apartment not too far from the city's outskirts. He liked quiet and peace and had a prefrence of keeping to himself. Yet the bustle of the city's life soothed him from afar, gave him comfort that he wasn't entirely alone. Piers was different that way.

"It says here the next liability is Chris Redfield.." Piers snapped his attention towards his doctor in mere shock he couldn't mask.

What?

"There has to be a mistake.. Chris isn't my family, he is my Captain.." Piers leaned forward on his knees as Dr. Riley leafed through the papers on his clipboard, squinting through thin glasses as he mouthed the words unseen to Piers quietly.

"No, there is no mistake.. We gave him a call, and he confirmed his signature.." Piers felt his heart drop with Riley's words as the man continued. "Everything is in order, he is on his way to sign you out and take you home."

Dr. Riley didn't lie either, Chris arrived an hour later and signed Piers off.. Which was the most awkward thing Piers had ever felt in his life. Piers couldn't recall when it became so awkward between them.. Or was it just him thinking so? Either way, after Chris had found Piers all Piers wanted to do was lay there in Chris' arms.. He had never been so happy to see someone in his entire life.. Now all he wanted to do was run away and find some rock to crawl under and hide. The car ride was worse. Piers kept his stare out the window, watching the white lines on the road stretch and the scenery pass him by. He'd casually cast brief glances in his captain's direction, whom was so focused on the road, hands gripping the steering wheel. Coffee eyes fixated.

"I hope you don't mind.. My apartment is closer.. And I figured it's easier since I know where it's at.." Chris broke the silence and Piers has to bite back a flinch. "If you are comfortable with that.."

"I don't mind I.." Piers trailed as his eyes dart to his folded hands in his lap. He resorted to picking at his finger nails, peeling at a hang nail to hide that he was in fact the opposite of that.. "Thank you.. I never got the chance to say that.."

Chris had finally took his eyes off the road to stare at him.. And Piers almost wondered if that was a good idea to supply him with gratitude since all he wanted to do was sink into the seats of his truck.

"Of course.. I hope you didn't think I'd up and leave you behind.." Chris' words were soft as Piers jerked his stare towards the window. He could still feel Chris' stare, burning at the back of his head.

"It's what my father would've done.." He heard himself mutter. He never thought he'd ever mention his own dad aloud ever again, to Chris no less, but then again, Chris knew the man, hell the guy _trained _him.. How could a guy like Chris have morals such as 'leave no man behind.' after being trained by a man who knew nothing but to sacrifice his own men if the cause held a higher value? The answer was beyond Piers but hell, it saved his life, so he wasn't about to complain.

Piers didn't expect the sudden jeer when Chris stomped on the breaks, causing Piers to lurch forward with a silent gasp, the strap of the seat belt cut into his shoulder and he had to bite back a curse as he whipped his head to shoot a nasty glare at Chris who was glaring straight at him.

"I am not your father.. Is this why you were treating me differently? Because I came looking for you?" Chris tone was demanding, but Piers stood his ground, he was the mouthy sniper after all.

"You knew good and well there were more things important!" Piers snapped without really intending to. He didn't really want to sound ungratful which is what he was certain he was coming off as, because he really was thankful to Chris.. Hell he owed Chris his life.. But he hated to think that the mission was jeopardized because of his own failure. "It was my own fa-.."

"Piers, how could you have possibly predicted what would have happened?!" Chris didn't bother to cover up his anger like he usually does. This surprised Piers considering Chris was known for his aloofness towards heated situations. A quality Piers liked. "Stop feeling guilty for something you had no control over!"

Piers sharply fell silent and Chris took a deep breath. Soon the car was moving again and the rest of the ride was in the cradle of quiet.

* * *

How could things turn so sour so fast? Chris didn't want Piers to think he hated him.. He needed time to think.. Time to away.. He told Piers to make himself at home and reasoned that he was going out to do some shopping to clear his head.. Of course he didn't mention that last part.. The last thing he wanted Piers to think was that he was a trouble.. This was completely opposite. Chris was delighted to care for Piers.. It gave him a chance to be closer.. Since he knew that being together would never be an option, he highly doubted Piers was interested in dating let alone being with another man..But at least he could be there for the sniper as a friend. That was better than having no Piers at all.

Chris wasn't paying attention to what he was throwing in the cart. Canned beans, a loaf of bread and a six pack of beer and three bags of potato chips.. Hardly anything he could consistantly use to prepare a full meal with.. He wondered what Piers liked to eat.. What was his favorite meal? His eyes scanned the shelves and he found a box of instant mashed potatoes and threw that in along with a can of green beans. His eyes fell on the freezer section and he grabbed what he saw first.. A package of steaks. It was a shot in the dark, but why not? Piers looked like a steak lover.

With the items scanned and payed for at the checkout, Chris hurried home with the groceries in a handfull of plastic bags and hurried home. He felt a little better after thinking to himself.. He decided he'd apologize to Piers for snapping.

"Piers, I'm home.." Chris had called from the door. When he was greeted by Fred, scratching at his boots a heavieness weighed down on him. He closed the door behind him and practically threw the groceries onto the counter in the kitchen with hurried steps. "Piers?"

A scream answered him, and at first, Chris didn't recognize it. It was shrill and laced in fear, two split seconds which felt like an eternity and a crash later, Chris realized it was Piers coming from the bathroom and without even thinking, Chris bolted down the hall, kicking the door nearly off it's hinges and rushing in to save the day.

"Piers?!"

Chris was shocked, eyes searching for damage that wasn't there, the young sniper was tangled in the shower curtains, thrashing to get away from something.. Chris was quick to rip them away and yank the soaked ace against his chest, scanning the running showers for anything..

He couldn't find nothing..

The shower was empty aside from the shampoo bottles and that single bar of soap... Nothing.. Yet Piers was shaken, breathing deeply and clutching onto him as if his life depended on it. Chris kept his arm around Piers as he leaned over to turn off the shower. The knob released a squeak and the water stopped, leaving behind steam. When Chris stood upright, he focused on Piers' raggid breathing. He could feel water bleed through his shirt, dampening his skin, but he didn't care, he held onto Piers, fighting the urge to rock him back and forth in a soothing gesture.

"I-It.. I-It was right there! In the corner!" Piers shouted into Chris' soaked shirt. Chris shook his head slowly, drawing to the conclusion that Piers was under stress and the medication the doctors had given him wasn't probably doing him any good and in fact hindered his better judgement.

"Piers, there is no one there.. I promise.." But Piers didn't seem to be convinced.. He was still shivering and Chris could feel his nails sink into his back, biting his skin through his shirt. "Piers.."

"That night you asked me what my nightmare was about.." Piers suddenly babbled, bringing up something that Chris had long forgotten. He was surprised and in awe that Piers had remembered.

"Piers?" He couldn't mask his shock.

"I was afraid of losing you.." Piers had quickly and fiercely spoke. Voice trembling and muffled in Chris' chest. "You are the closest thing to a friend I-I have ever had and I didn't know how to feel or take it.. You came back for me despite all the odds you never gave up on me.. You saw potential in me when nobody else did it was because of you I lived because of you I-.."

Piers' words were silenced when lips were pushed onto his and it derailed his thoughts.. Everything.

_Because of you I was able to stay alive.._

Chris felt Piers melt into his arms when he expected a punch in the jaw. He was pleasently surprised with this reaction, even more so to lift the young sniper up out of the tub and carry him into his room. Chris' steps were uneven and staggered while his lips were occupied. He finally had Piers and he was afraid.. Afraid that he wouldn't want to let go.. Chris' hands blindly drifted over Piers' torso as soon as their melded bodies hit the sheets, fingertips grazing the stitching across his side from god knows what happened when he was lost, carefully to the markings from the harsh hand of Madagascar.. Wounds he was more than sure would heal.

Piers was foreign to the touches, this much had become quite clear when Piers squirmed with every caress and light feathered touch, breaking the kiss to jerk his head back and hiss. But just as Chris was about to apologize a hand cupped the slope of his cheek. Chris leaned into the touch as his eyes met with Piers' half lidded ones.

"You're gonna be okay, Piers.." Chris found himself whispering, his forehead founded Piers' in the poorly lit room filled by the setting sun's light.

_No matter what.._

"I know Captain.." Piers softly answered, leaning his head up off the bed to capture Chris' lips.

_Stay alive.._

* * *

**So, that kinda happened. xD.. Wow.. I never thought I'd finish this.. At 1:00 o'clock in the friggen morning! xD LOL.. I really hoped you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed typing. I want to thank you all for being so kind and wonderful for commenting and pushing me through this. It is satisfying to finish a fanfic, and even more satisfying to make others happy. And on that note: :D THANK YOU ALL AND GOODNIGHT!**

**-mr. krow**


	7. Behind the Scenes Author's Notes

_**My first time actually giving a full view on the story and what was going through my mind at the time while writing it. You don't have to read this part in fact this is for those who are probably curious as to why I wanted to make this happen. I never really seen any fanfiction actually explain why they wanted to make a 'fic or how and sometime I wonder how the idea came to play.**_

_Well, for starters, I wanted to create something that hasn't really been tried before or as far as I looked into. I wanted some originality to something so well loved as a cannon pairing. (Yes, I think Nivanfield is a cannon pairing, bite me.) I love the pairing and I admire the kinship between the two. I mean even if it really isn't actual love no one can't possibly deny the damn tension and bromance between the two, weither it is love or platonic friendship or not, there is clearly something there! _

_Anyways! I wanted to do something different and capture a side of Piers that was already known but not quite shown in fanfictions to my liking. I remember reading a fanfiction that caught my eye, and I liked it, I remember the author saying: "I hate it when Piers is made out to be a weakling." and I fully agree! So I devised a plan to actually try to meet in the middle with Piers' capabilities as well as showing a sliver of weakness to make the best of both worlds.. I wanted to show readers how tough Piers can be and keep that survival knowledge in tack and show that Piers may be "uke" but he is one tough son of a bitch!_

_I wanted this to be from Chris' point of view mainly but I thought it be interesting to split the two views which was a challenge in itself because I had to try not to mix the two's thoughts together and such, so many rewrites and flipped tables on that one! I digress, Piers' background story was interesting. I looked and looked and all mannaged to dig up was 'he has a thick line of military in his family' so I decided to come up with Chris' former drill sargent as Piers' ol' daddy! Just to make things a little interesting. I didn't make it a sole connection throughout the story as much as I'd like but I have to say, I am pleased with how the concept turned out anyways._

_With some of the plotline in mind, and a determind mind set; a friend of mine gave me a survival challenge.. It wasn't easy but I came up with a location: Madagascar!_

_Since I knew little of the area, I had to research the shit out of it, (And even then I slacked off because I know there are no mountains on there, at least I don't think, I wanted to use my friggen imagination, okay?!) it was fun and all, looking up the types of fruit, trees and animals.. Then that's when I came up with the lovable fluffy Fred, whom regretibly isn't shown enough with Chris near the end as I'd like but hey, things change and I had deadlines to make.._

_So I came up with this Creature who Piers named Fred.. As a sort of latch for Piers' sainity. Something to talk to and is as stubborn as he. I struggled so much on what animal I wanted it to be. At first I wanted it to be a type of bird but that didn't seem to fit well on the story board.. I played a lot of Jack and Daxter in my childhood to want to bring back that feel of animal conpainionship. I wanted it to be a squirrel or something. I researched fossas and decided that I found my dream design for Fred! This goofy little creature who brightens Piers' day!_

_I originally wasn't sure how to end this story, I was really wracking my brain for possible outcomes, spitballing in the dark so to speak. I wanted to capture a sort of jealousy for Chris and thought about it being over Sherry and Piers but realized that would be a topic for another fanfiction in the near possible future. xD I decided to make it just a simple hospital nurse and not make a complete big deal about it since the story was about Piers' survival and I wanted to stay on topic. With this in mind ending it was a pain.. I didn't want to prolong the whole hospital scene simply because it wasn't about his healing more so than his coping. If that makes any sense at all!_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading it, it was a blast to write and I can't take all of the credit since I really have a few friends proofread and shoot me possible outcomes for the characters. So I give the credit as well, thank you guys and I love you! x3_

_And again, wonderful characters who I felt were fun to write about! Thank you again for your time, I honestly didn't expect people to enjoy it as much as this! It was a pleasent surprise so thnks and have a good one!_

_-mr. krow_


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